Running a small business by yourself or with a small staff often
means you have to cover a lot of ground around the office. Taking
along a cordless phone ensures you don't miss important
calls--until you walk out of range or get static on the line. Lack
of clarity, restricted range and interference are among the most
frequent complaints about cordless phones. It isn't unusual to
even hear other people's conversations or phones ringing on
your line. Frustrated with these limitations, some businesspeople
have resorted to installing phone extensions everywhere, a costly
solution.

Fortunately, the latest cordless phones have moved to the next
level, where static has been virtually eliminated and range greatly
extended, thanks to digital technology and powerful frequency
bands. Digital cordless phones have much wider bands to accommodate
more channels, resulting in almost static-free transmissions. For
example, Lucent Technologies' phones, the bestselling phones on
the market (formerly sold under the AT&T logo), provide users
with 173 channels. Thomson Consumer Electronics' digital
cordless phone (sold under the General Electric logo) provides 100
channels.

All digital cordless phones in our chart are on the 900 MHz
radio band frequency, providing ranges of up to 4,000 feet (about
three-quarters of a mile) and high-quality voice clarity. Standard
cordless phones use the 43 to 46 MHz frequency and have a range of
up to 500 feet. Don't judge a phone only by its range, though;
buildings, weather and terrain can affect sound quality and
reception. A longer range, however, means you can move farther away
and receive a clearer signal as the phone automatically switches to
a better channel on the band.

Digital technology also means more security. Digital phones have
a microchip that encrypts signals and scrambles them across a wide
spectrum to help protect against eavesdropping--important if you
have security-sensitive phone conversations. Sanyo's QuietLine
model protects signals with 16 million security codes to prevent
unauthorized use of your phone line by other cordless phone users
(if someone is using a similar phone nearby, he or she could latch
onto your channel, and you'd be billed for the call) and to
guard against false rings from other cordless phones. One model,
Uniden's EXI 960, offers call waiting ID and provides new
caller alert, a beep that tells you when you have another call.

Many new cordless phone systems employ tapeless voice mail
technology, allowing users to do away with their answering
machines. Although these phone systems have greater time
restrictions and some cannot save as many messages as standard
answering machines, they provide three conveniences in one package:
cordless phone, base unit and voice mail. Other features on the new
phones include time and date stamp. Panasonic's model, for
instance, uses a synthesized voice to inform users of the time and
date each message was received.

Some of the new cordless phones have standby modes that allow
the handset to function away from the base unit for several days,
but you may have to switch off the ringer or other features to get
the benefit. If you need a two-line phone, check out Sony's
model SPP-M920, which has three-way conference capability so users
can talk simultaneously on two lines with separate outside
parties.

Most digital cordless phones can be plugged into a wall jack.
Toshiba's phones are the exception; they can only be used with
the company's own $350 to $500 Strata DK8 digital key phone
system.

Feature Facts

Deciding what you need before you shop can save money. Here is a
list of the most popular features:

Auto scan channel-hopping: This feature automatically
scans various frequencies for the channel with the greatest
clarity.

Call log: This feature stores the last few numbers dialed
on the handset so the user can scroll through if necessary.

Call waiting ID: If you want to know who's calling on
call waiting, the screen identifies the caller's phone number
and, on some models, the name of the caller.

Channels: Cordless phones using the 900 MHz radio band
automatically monitor a variety of transmission channels and select
the clearest one. Lots of channels means your phone has a greater
chance of switching to another one if you encounter
interference.

Digital security codes: These help prevent unauthorized
use of your phone line and protect against false rings from other
cordless phones in the area.

Memory telephone numbers: This feature allows you to
store telephone numbers in memory.

Out-of-range alert: This beep lets you know you've
walked out of frequency range while using the phone, and you need
to move closer to the base unit.

Page find: Some phones have a one-way paging system to
help you locate the phone if you misplace it; other phones have
two-way paging to alert either party that the other is looking for
them.

Range: If your work area is small, a short range may be
all you need; if you wander more than 1,000 feet from your desk,
look for a long-range model.

Standby time: This is the number of minutes, hours or
days the phone handset can function away from the base unit without
being recharged.

Time and date stamp: Some phones display this on screen;
others use a digitized voice.